Wednesday, February 10, 1993 The Castlegar Sun Page 7A Letters to the Editor Interference with trade must become preferable to killing itor: possible, Interference trade, business and February 10, 1993 Neighbor says “Tolerance no more!” Dear Editor: ed in the neighbourhood to force understand the complaints if the weather was fair, with a bare AWS PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP. MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA CIRCULATION MANAGER: PRODUC TONOFFICE JOHN VAN PUTTEN LINDA ANDERSON SPORTS REPORTERPHOTOGRAPHER PROOUC TION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER REPORTER ART DIRECTOR MELODY SEMENOFF ADVERTISING-REP. Direct Department Phones / +» 365-5266 ++» 965-5266 - 365-7848 365-2278 +»-965-5579 365-7762 editorial comment Problem is not unique to Castlegar In 1977 I made a decision to move from Seattle, Washington, to the quiet town of Castlegar. The decision to move myself and my child-to this com- munity came after an incident occurred, which involved my son while he rode a Seattle school bus. While on the bus, my son was physically accost- ed by other students for both his lunch and his milk money. When he came home at the end of the school day he was visibly upset, and when I heard his story so was I. It was mainly. because of this incident that I chose to retum to the land of my birth to raise my son, and what a better place than Castlegar. It has so much to offer: wide open skies; green majestic mountains; and a type of lifestyle which I knew the big city could not Possibly offer a single Parent raising a son. I realized that our best chances of having a good life lay not in a big city, but Tre my son could enjoy to the fullest all that a smaller town could offer. What a sense of relief I felt as I drove the U- Haul down Highway 3 and spied the beautiful city of Castlegar. I had escaped the big city and all the evils associated with it! Or had I? My son is now. raised, and Castlegar was, for us, everything we expected—and more. But in light of recent violent acts which have occurred between students at Stanley Humphries Secondary School, I have begun to wonder where someone can go in order to find a safe place to raise children—the answer is frightening, because the answer is becoming crystal clear—there is no where to go. Although SHSS cannot be compared to other schools, particularly those in big cities, we have to recognize that violent encounters between students are on the increase, and it has spread like a cancer everywhere, including Castlegar. But the biggest mistake we can make is to assume that violent incidents are Particular to SHSS, and therefore is the school’s problem. It’s time to wake up and understand that children are a Product of their environment, and their environ- ment does not only include SHSS. In fact our chil- dren are only in school only about 30-35 hours out of a 168-hour week I think it is about time that we all stop blaming others for the anger of our youth, and instead start examining viable solutions. I’m not certain what those solutions might be; I don’t know if anyone knows that answer. But one thing I am certain of, is that the growing problem of violence needs to be addressed. However, we can’t address this problem until we are willing to accept the fact that it is hap- pening in our community. We have to stop thinking of the Problem as being the school’s probiem, or a police problem, because the sad reality is that it touches us all, in one way or another. = \ —Karen Kerkhof Mi The qa ZS 1S POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT ANDA MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 All advertising subject to publisher's approval. Contracts must be completed within oné year from contract date. No contingent orders accepted Think conse We had been living in suburbia in a small country town in south- eastern Australia, a two hour drive east of Melbourne. Our home was typical of its genre, single Storey, non-insulated brick, with three tiny bedrooms, a garage engulfed in ivy geraniums, a large, fenced back yard and a view of all the other houses. In the summer heat, the house functioned like a clay baker. In winter, cold drafts blew through cracks in the mortar. - In our immediate area I had counted over thirty children and then stopped counting. Some things you just don’t want to know! Some children were in abu- sve situations and other families were definitely dysfunctional. It must have appeared that I was doing very little each day, for I became the focus of the attention of various little ones. “Do you have any biscuits?” or “I have to use the “bathroom"!" One afternoog a tiny bundle rang my doorbell and pleaded “could I please get his kite out of the overhead power lines!” A very young tot was locked in the family sedan to scream for hours most afternoons, just under the window of the bedroom I was using as my Office. I was fast turning into a ner- The economically uninforme Fraser Institute Some will think that President Clin- ton drew his example for the recent economic summit from Prime Minis- ter Brian Mulroney's summit orga- nized soon after the 1984 election. That televised Policy fest gathered together a grab bag of special inter- ests and vocal luminaries for a smor- gasbord of sound bites orchestrated by maestro Stanley Hart. The pur- Pose of the Canadian Summit was to show that the government was inter- ested in all points of view and would take them into account as it planned its recovery and restructuring pack- age. However, much as the Little Rock Round Table might have resembled the Mulroney exercise, it drew its inspiration from a much ear- lier set of practises. I refer to the rit- uals conducted historically by high Pnests, witch doctors, and shamans. These wise men were often distin- guished by the fact that they had been able to contrive some method of celestial prediction using tools like Stonehenge, or the magic circles of North American Indians, or the complicated celestial calculations of the Mayans or the ancient Egyptians. The observations enabled the Magic men to predict phenomena like eclipses of the moon, the timing of the winter solstice (and hence the beginning of the return of the sun from its southward movement), and the infrequent eclipses of the sun This knowledge gave the Priests great power because the average per- son had no understanding of the celestial process. Therefore, the Pnests could claim that it was neces- sary to make sacrifices, to give offer ings of food and other things to the “temple,” and in general to do what the priests said so that the gods would bring the sun back from its southerly position This power was also used to SS —=—S= vous wreck! We fled into the sur- rounding hills, to a small “farmlet” which we named “High Taroo” “High Taroo” was far too big for us and “Heidi”, our Australian afghan/bearded collie, but we loved the ambience, and the com- manding view of the whole valley from east to west. The estate agent told us it had its own water supply! We checked and discovered not only did it have an enormous con- crete reservoir under the garage, in which fresh water was collected from the vast roofs, but there was another concrete tank on the hill above us which fed the pool. We moved in happily and set about to make the place comfortable Our first evening in the house, it poured rain all night. In the mom ing, as we lay in bed listening to the magpies warbling on the over- hanging eaves, I was suddenly struck with the thought that birds meant bird droppings! Add rain. determine the planting times for com and other grains and therefore per- formed a benign function. The €ssential model that these people applied, however, relied on a differ ence in knowledge between the gen- eral people and the priests Now consider the Clinton Sum- mit. Here was a great collection of gurus, all of whom are very skilled in the interpretation of economic data and the assessment of how far the economy is from the turning Point. All know that the data indi- cate that the U.S. economy is show- ing very strong signs of recovery The recession is, for all intents and SSS ». *STITSCAN DECLARES RECESSION OVER + SS and there must be guano in the water storage tanks, part of our drinking water system. Of course, I was told to stop fussing, but I couldn't forget the thought of those bird droppings. When we checked the tanks they were overflowing Yes, water from the roofs was cer- tainly going into the storage tanks. The next day I ventured into the local Water and Sewage Board with a water sample. I was told there was really no need to test the water, that it would almost certain- ly be okay. “You Americans are always bothering us about testing the water!” But I was adamant and So they, in time, duly produced a print out of the chemical analyses which, recalling all the many water quality reports in my background looked okay to me Nevertheless, 1 checked it out with our chemical engineer at work, who did some further inter Pretation for me. It seemed that we, indeed, had nothing to worry about. The solution to pollution is dilution, so they say We continued to check our, water storage tanks all through that spring and early summer. Towards the end of summer it seemed water levels were getting to be dangerously low, sO we went into a severe conserva d are still the Purposes, Over. Why, then, have an economic summit to discover the Policies that are required to “kick start” the economy? The answer is to be found in the practises of antiq uity, and in the knowledge gap that gave the priests their power. Clinton's public relations man- agers know that the general public doesn't have the in-depth knowledge of economic affairs that those attend- ing the summit have. Therefore, the public won't know that the summit and the “recovery program” it. will Produce are targeted on an event that has already occurred. Accordingly, making a great fuss about a recovery " = » rvatively about ‘water! tion mode. It is simply amazing how far you can stretch a litre of ‘water, with every millimetre doing double duty! In spite of our best efforts, including watering the gar. den with “grey water” from the laundry, we finally ran out of water and had to purchase a tanker full which was not cheap, and not very sweet. Then we purchased another load. And then another load. And then it rained. And it rained. It rained all that winter until, once again, the tanks were overflow- ing. We grew more cautious. We added an irrigation tank: for the garden. We were now severely conserving water at all seasons and not just when the t value of a litre of water We in the Kootenays are indeed fortunate to live in an area where the quantity of water is not a prob- lem, although the water pressure sometimes may be problematic. To this day, whenever a uest runs the shower for an hour, or a tap is left open, I grit my teeth and think about those long, hot Australian summers. If was over 403 in Ade laide just last week! We Canadians just do not understand how pre cous can be our seemingly limit less water supply . vast majority Program in’ his inauguration speech in January following this great eco- nomic summit will impress the aver. age American that Clinton is really doing something about economic Problems. More importantly, it will enable the new president, in duc course, to claim that he has been responsible for the recovery that is already underway, and which will be obvious to. all by the end of 1993 Of course, the only people who might be persuaded by such a pitch are those who are economically uninformed. Regrettably, they are still the vast majority REFERRED INDOW - oR ; tions on a recalcitrant question the use of war as an Once again bombs, rockets and guns are the cho- sen instruments to enforce United Nations resolu- ‘Iwo years ago the Kootenay Region United Nations Association, the uscc, Peace Group, and others, mounted public forums to profits must become preferable to killing people. Trade in contravention of UN sanctions can be made an international criminal offence and Pprose- court. The side cuted in an ij the Castlegar ate or effec. tive means of enforcing the will of the United © Nations or its member states. The doubts expressed at that time now seen fully justified. ‘Two of the points these forums raised now seem more pertinent than ever, Can the UN Selectively enforce compliance to its resolutions by Iraq while by Ind iabenecage to enter Iraq with imp delays and higher food and medicines for the poor while the wealthy and political elites are only inconvenienced by Prices, Given the will, an effective trade embargo is effects of a trade embargo fall unequally on differ- lives than the interest 8 of politicians or the profits of corporations, United Nations Association of Canada td on behalf of: Kootenay Region Branch Trade relationships should be based on what is best fo Dear Editor: The local Reform Party candi- date in Kootenay West Revel- stoke assures us in a recent letter to the area newspapers that his party will amend the Free Trade Agreement and the North Ameri- ca Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to maintain exclusive and unrestricted control of water in all its forms. He does not however, give any indication how he and his Party intend to make those amend- ments. Does Mr. Gouk not realize that the Free Trade Agreement has been in place now since Jan- uary 1, 1989 and the NAFTA will be on the agenda when parlia- Ment resumes sitting on February 1/93? Does Mr. Gouk truly believe’ that the United States will go back to the bargaining table with Canada to remove a benefit to themselves, and to renegotiate the NAFTA’ so that we retain control of our water? * The Liberals, like the Reform Party, have also said that they would renegotiate the NAFTA and early in 1992 they defeated a motion in the House, put forward by Dave Barrett, MP, to abrogate the Free Trade Agreement. The NDP is the only party to Say we must revoke the FTA and the only party to say NO to NAFTA. When the House resumes sit- ting in the spring and the NAFTA is on the agenda, Audrey McLaughlin has said the NDP will use every procedural means at our disposal to defeat or pro- long the passage of this destruc- tive legislation. The Reform Party considers our Canadian water an export commodity. The Reform party however, Bives no indication of the extent to which they would be. willing to export our water. Would it be to the extent of our Columbia River Treaty? Or to the tune of-one million acre feet of water per year as touted by the Multinational Water and Power Inc. in their plans to divert the North Thompson River into the r Canadians Columbia River system and south to California? While out federal government assures us that the export of fresh water is not contemplated under the FTA or the NAFTA, we have wit- nessed the respect the Americans have shown toward our hog exports from Canada to the U.S.. Four consecutive years the U.S. has appealed our hog exports and for three consgcutive years the disputes resolutions system has upheld those exports. As Canadians, we must regain control over not only our water but all our natural resources as well as our social programs, cul- tural institutions and our sovereignty. We must abrogate the FTA and say NO to NAFTA and build trade relationships based on what is best for Canada and Canadians. Heather Suggitt NDP Candidate Kootenay West Revelstoke Government has no right to make special deals with Native people Dear Editor: The following is taken from my letter to Premier Harcourt, expressing concern for the predicament of the commercial fishermen in B. C. — and for the enormous implications of Indian land claims in this province: “Although I am not in any way connected with the fishing industry, I am writing to you out of concern for the commercial fishermen of our province — in their expected serious loss of livelihood because of Indian land claims. I also write to express alarm over the devastat- ing implications of these exten- sive land claims, with their related large scale job losses in forestry, mining and agriculture in this province It seems that both our Feder- al and Provincial governments have forgotten that in the feder- al referendum of last October 26th almost seventy percent of the people of B.C. (as well as significant majorities in the other western provinces and territories) said NO to special deals for separate ethnic groups in Canada — including our native Indian bands. It is commendable that most of those who voted NO in Octo- ber have made it clear that they nevertheless have an attitude of equality and goodwill towards the Indian people. Nevertheless there is no doubt in my mind that the referendum’s high rate of rejection-in B.C. was in large “part out of concern over the enomnity of the land claims and their related implications. It particularly distresses me that our government is not con- Sulting the other ninety Percent of the people of this province in these crucial matters — especial- ly those who will be affected in a highly adverse way. Unilateral actions of this sort are likely to cause desperate people to take matters into their own hands — with results that could be consid- erably worse than those at Oka several years ago. = Please do hot make unilateral, “carved-in-stone” land claim deals which will cripple the via- bility of our province forever. In view of the October referendum, neither our Federal nor our Provincial government has the mandate to do this. They do not have the right to make special deals which are not in the best i of British Columbians. It is my belief that our pre- sent Federal government — in 4 ~ : ¥. The Lion's Head Dining Room oa Especially for you and your loved ones - by special request...our DELUXE Valentine's Sunday Brunch February 14, 1993 only 912 ad per adult » Special child (under 10) rates Under 6 - FREE - Seniors discount Hours: 10 am - 2 pm + Reservations accepted 5G65-O181 Robson, B.C. keeping with the usual lack of interest in the west — would unfortunately not care a great deal if our entire province were to be sacrificed in the name of these land claims. I believe it is entirely possible to give the Indian people the respect and consideration they deserve — as equal Canadians — without causing devastation to thousands of other people in this province. The people of western Canada said NO to special deals for sep- See NO DEALS 8A Silver Rattle Antiques 301-11 Ave. Castlegar. (in Tulips Building) . 365-5191 To whom it may concern; I would like to thank all the people who ¢omplained about our bus. Thank you for the warm welcome you have given us to our new neighbourhood It seems people are so tolerant of their fellow man now-a-day, that they won't even let you unpack before letting you know exactly what boundaries you dare not cross. Heaven help me if one of my children cries too loudly or my dog barks once too often Per- haps there will be a petition start- Wildlife programs need public support Dear Editor: The following is an open letter to the residents and busi- ness owners of Castlegar. The Castlegar and District Wildlife Association is putting on their 29th Annual Wild Game Smorgasbord - and Dance on Saturday, February 20, 1993 at the Castlegar Community Complex. An integral part of this fundrais- ing event is a raffle of donated items and the unreserved auc- tion of several framed high quality wildlife prints. In past years, corporate sponsors have purchased these Prints, then donated them back to our club for the auction. We ask for your Support in the Purchase of one of these framed prints. These prints will be displayed in a variety of public locations in Castle- gar and at the Complex during the. banquet. The name of the corporate sponsor will be clearly identified. The proceeds of the ban- quet, raffle and this auction go toward a variety of Castlegar and District Wildlife Associa- ion sponsored wildlife projects in our area If you want to. be involved in this project and the auction Please, contact the undersigned Person as soon as possible Thank you. Steve Davis, President Castlegar and. District Wildlife Association 365-6067 More Letters to the Editor Page 8A y Sew What? = Dressmaking = Custom Frt For Valentine Heart Chocolates ALL SIZES & PRICES Rowntree Daity Box - 675 g. SPECIAL Turtles - 400 g. SPECIAL REVLON Colours for eyes, lips & nallls - reg. $27.95 SALE FREE "UNFORGETTABLE" T-SHIRT With purchase of "Unf Fragrance WHITE SHOULDERS Romantic 2 or 3 plece Fragrance sets. 20% off SOUD BRASS HEART SHAPED PICTURE FRAMES — MANY MORE SPECIALS — Say Happy Valentine's Day with a Hallmark card and gift tod jpatlmask fal $5.99 “Your Friendly Pharmacy" CARL'S PLAZA DRUGS __ 365-7269 me to move as I myself am an eyesore, I don't wear my hair just right or wear designer clothing I've always considered myself a good neighbor, minding my own business and being tolerant of others circumstances and differ ences. Perhaps I've moved to the wrong neighbourhood to expect the same of my neighbours I could understand the com plaints if there was a safety prob- lem involved ora blocking of traffic but as it is there is no prob. jem in that concern. I could also ground, so we could perhaps find another area to park the vehicle, As it stands, I think my new neighbours‘would be wise to watch their P's and Q's as far as proper neighbourhood etiquette is concemed, as I will no longer be the “tolerant neighbor” I was in the past Sincerely, W. Lovick Castlegar Our Manager went to Mexico But you can take your mouth to Italy for only $1.99 The 6" Meatball Sub. (© 1095 Doctor's Associates, ine. CASTLEAIRD PLAZA 365-SUB6 Cliffe Churches @ CANADA LIFE (since 1847) Planning your insurance needs under your fermis. ° Life Insurance _ ¢ Pension Planning ¢ RRSP's ¢ Disability Income Protection ¢ Annuities & RRIF's ° Group Insurance 365-6136 DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN? CHRIS LADD, APR, IPRA YOU SHOULD! Chris Ladd has more than 30 years of public relations, writing and advertising experience and will business story for the Annual Castlegar in Re’ Call the Castlegar be writing YOUR Castlegar Sun's 3rd view Sun Advertising Department at 365-2278 to reserve your space now! And, when you talk with Chris you'll be pleased at his level of professionalism and attention to detail about YOUR business! wily, The Castlégar Sun Zs ‘The weekly newspaper with a daily commitment”